Westminster police chief applicants face deadline

With the deadline for filing applications to fill the vacancy for Westminster's police chief approaching, city officials will soon begin evaluations of at least 30 potential candidates.

Joseph D. Urban, the city's director of finance, will begin reviewing the applications after the deadline at 4 p.m. tomorrow. His department will give the applications to a search committee made up of law enforcement officers and elected city officials, who will identify a pool of candidates to interview.

Urban expects interviews to begin the first week of next month. The short list of potential candidates will have an additional meeting with a community focus group chosen by Mayor Kevin E. Dayhoff. The group was formed after the mayor was criticized by city residents for choosing an all-white search committee.

The racially diverse focus group cannot offer recommendations but will be permitted to ask questions, the mayor said. Urban hopes negotiations will be under way by the end of next month with whomever the mayor recommends as a preferred candidate. If everything stays on track, he said, a new chief hired by the mayor could start work as early as December.

Maj. Dean A. Brewer is filling in as acting chief after Chief Roger G. Joneckis retired at the end of July after 29 years in the department. Brewer supervises 43 police officers and 13 civilians.

The advertisement for the new chief requires applicants to be veteran law enforcement officers with at least 10 years of management experience. The salary range is $78,000 to about $94,000, depending on experience and qualifications.